Page 7 - Aerotech News and Review, September 18, 2020

High Desert Hangar Stories
Eyewitness to history: The Red Baron’s final flight

By Bob Alvis both sides and died like a gentleman at
Special to Aerotech News the controls of his craft.” Upon later
investigation, it was determined the
Back in the 1970s, there was a large German ace was killed almost instantly
group of aviation enthusiasts, test pilots by a single bullet which had entered his
and Barnstormers that held yearly gath- shoulder and exited below his heart. “I
erings here in the A.V. remember tangling with the same plane
The very popular Barnstormers before its crash,” Boots recalled. “Von
Reunion was so well attended that it Richthofen had shot down 80 planes,
was held at the Antelope Valley Fair- up to this day, and nearly had me as his
grounds, to handle the overflow crowds. eighty-first.”
You would think that with all that LeBoutillier, an American, had
talent, the speakers would be hard learned to fly in 1916 in a model B
pressed to entertain the crowd, many Wright Aircraft. To the sounds of gasps
of whom were considered the origina- from the room of Barnstormer attend-
tors and keepers of the “Right Stuff.” ees, he stated that after he had logged
The organizers never disappointed, five minutes of flying time, he was con-
bringing speakers to the podium who sidered a pilot and was sent off to war.
created rapt silence amongst an audi- He remained with the No. 209
ence of aviators, who could only listen of a landmark day in aviation history. Squadron for the duration of the war,
in disbelief to the exploits of the early “There were 11 of us in a flight acquiring 600 flying hours by the time
pioneers of aviation. around 12,000 feet over the Somme the Armistice was declared. Later in
One such aviator who was a regular River,” Boots recalled. “We were up England, in recognition of his service
visitor to our High Desert home was against 28 Fokker Triplanes, where pi- to the crown, he was awarded a citation
a man who almost became a statistic lots were under orders to wipe out our by Winston Churchill.
as number 81, but was instead lucky squadron.” LeBoutiller was one of three Back in the United States, “Boots”
enough to end up as an eyewitness flight leaders for the No. 209 Squadron was so impressed with the thought of
to history that, by today’s standards, of the United Kingdom’s Royal Air flying an airplane without having to
dodge bullets, that he decided to find
another flying job. His first paying po-
sition was that of a sky writer, where
he found himself right at home in a
World War I converted S.E. 5 Scout.
He became one of the pioneers and of-
ficials of the Skywriting Corporation of
America. Aerial advertising took him to Courtesy photograph
Hollywood, where he joined the dare- Capt. O.C. “Boots” LeBoutillier.
devil stunt pilots of the early studio era.
During the late 1920s and early 1930s to hear many of these stories and pass think that many today even know what
he flew in 18 films, including The Eagle them on, and I feel a bit sorry for those a Barnstormer is! Sure would be fun to
and the Hawk and the air war classic, who missed the opportunity to interact
Hell’s Angels. After motion pictures, have events like this again that relive
LeBoutillier flew in the National Air or just be a fly on the wall to hear the the swashbuckling of yesteryear’s avia-
Races and later gave Amelia Earhart back and forth of some really incredible tion, but men like “Boots” are few and
her first dual instruction in a twin en- folks from our nation’s aviation past. far between. Little did I know when
gine airplane. In 1937, he joined the It was these gentlemen who inspired I was just a young teen that a chance
Civil Aeronautics Administration many of us young folks to open those encounter at the home of a friend,
and in World War II was inspector in books and embrace the history that was whose Dad was a big part of these re-
charge of the western United States. bigger than life. unions, would have me face-to-face and
In 1948, with 19,000 flight hours These folks are now long gone and speechless with a man who was there
in planes from the Wright Model B to it’s up to us who had those moments to the day the Red Baron was shot down
multi-engine bombers, he retired from find a way of passing them on to future — and he looked nothing like Snoopy!
Capt. O.C. “Boots” LeBoutillier by Robert Carlin, signed by “Boots” LeBoutillier. active flying. He founded a pharma- generations and make the subject as
ceutical company and ran it for many entertaining as we can, to inspire our Until next time, Bob out …
years, leaving the flying to others after young to want to know more.
would seem like a fantasy tale from the Force, the most recognized squadron in setting up home in Las Vegas. We no longer have the Barnstormers
studios of Hollywood. the war. He was piloting one of Eng- I have been blessed over the years Reunions and to tell the truth, I don’t
When Capt. Oliver C. “Boots” LeB- land’s first Sopwith Camels that rainy
outillier walked to the podium in front Sunday morning. “Action was at close
of an audience of the best of aviation, quarters in those days and fighting was
we can only imagine the anticipation fast and furious, when our paths crossed
of those in attendance as they waited with the Red Baron and his flying cir-
to hear about April 21, 1918, from this cus,” he said. “I was shot up pretty bad
now-old man, who remembered the and was forced to pull out of action and
day as if it were yesterday. As he stood started to make my descent.
to address the crowd, he was the only “Just then, I spotted this bright red
surviving person to be a witness to the triplane with another one of our squad-
last flight and fight of Baron Manfred ron leaders, Capt. Roy Brown, hot in
von Richthofen, better known as the pursuit. I could see his tracer’s bullets
infamous “Red Baron.” into the aft fuselage and cockpit of the
The ex-fighter pilot and war ace enemy plane. Suddenly, the red tri-
(six victories and several probables) plane pulled up and went into a right
reminisced about the memorable oc- gliding turn and made a rather gentle
casion and was honored to be the fea- crash landing. We didn’t know who
tured speaker before such a remarkable was behind the stick of the red triplane
gathering of fellow aviators. When he until after it crashed,” Boots said. “The Courtesy photograph
started his story, silence filled the room Red Baron was our enemy, but he had Capt. O.C. “Boots” LeBoutillier with his aircraft during World War I.
as the soft-spoken Ace shared that story always been respected by the fliers on

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